Split Review (Spoiler Free)

We Need To Talk About Kevin 

Released : January 20th 2017

Certificate : 15

Director : M. Night Shyamalan

Cast : Anya Taylor-Joy, James McAvoy, Haley Lu Richardson

Plot : Three girls are abducted after a birthday party. They soon realise that their abductor (McAvoy) suffers from split personality disorder.

Night Shyamalan, undoubtedly, returns to top form in his new film Split. After four mainstream films, that were poorly received by fans and critics, and other films that aren’t widely known, Shyamalan was considered written off by many. With Split, a film he self-funded as to retain as much creative control as possible, he recruited some brilliant rising horror craftsmen. The cinematographer for the film, Mike Gioulakis, who Shyamalan reportedly wanted to work with instantly after seeing Gioulakis work on It Follows. As well the lead of the film is played by Anya Taylor-Joy, an actress who burst onto the scene with a compelling performance in what is considered 2016 best horror film, The Witch.

Split’s premise alone is an engaging story, with such a quirky psychological concept, it’s a rarity of film making. The premise of the film would make anyone sceptical, unless you have Shyamalan and McAvoy attached to the project. And you can tell from the opening scene that there has been much care taken with the films craft. Firstly, the girls in distress, due to Taylor-Joy character, don’t fit a conventional horror film mould (a side note; it is debatable whether to classify this film as a horror). These characters are smart, and don’t just despair that the situation and have an intriguing dynamic, which was refreshing for the horror genre. Taylor-Joy character is given a backstory that is brilliantly told and bleeds into the rest of the film. The quality of her character and her performance is good enough to match McAvoy going all out in a character with 23 sides. The script deals with McAvoy’s character very well, knowing that humour is required to keep him grounded, and McAvoy’s comedic talent shines in this film.

Of course, being a story told by Shyamalan, there’s a high level of attention that audience will pay to each shot, taking in every detail. Studying the film so much for clues about the narrative, may lead audiences away from the fact, that this is a brilliantly directed film. The shot selection and camera movement screams enigma, keeping you engaged without. It’s not just the storyline that keeps you edgy throughout, Shyamalan has clearly thought through every shot very well, and it’s a joy to see such precise and passionate filmmaking. It is for this reason and the performances, that makes Split so great, because as many other critics have said, the brilliance to this film isn’t confined within the ending.

To talk more on the performances, McAvoy’s role in this film is likely an actor’s dream, and it is one of his best roles yet. A lot rides on his performance, and due to an excellent script by Shyamalan, there character couldn’t have been better realised. There are scenes that in a ‘split’ second, the character change swing from humorous and playful, to eerily sinister. And throughout he remains hugely entertaining. Taylor-Joy’s role in the film, demands slightly less of her than The Witch did, but she’s an actress with a great ability to speak volumes without any dialogue, and really shines as another compelling ‘horror’ character.

Split is a hugely pleasing film, it’s such a joy to see a filmmaker regain their spark after becoming an definitive name of the turn of the millennial. Here he displays just as much skill with script writing as with directing. A script, which has dialogue that both develops character and story excellently and contains an overall narrative that is unpredictable and rich. Directing that is so well crafted, creating sickeningly thrilling set piece of action and drama, and an ability to maintain tension throughout, despite a limited set.

Verdict : Shyamalan is back. Split is hilarious, deliciously dark, unpredictable, poignant and rewatchable. A jaw dropping experience.

Verdict : 5/5

Quote : N/A (As to reveal nothing.)

Hush Netflix Review

Don’t Look Now

Released : March 12th 2016

Certificate : 15

Director : Mike Flanagan

Cast : Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, Emilia Graves

Plot : A deaf writer has moved out of the city into the woods for peace of mind. One night a masked killer shows up at her front door, and a game of cat and mouse ensues.

Mike Flanagan goes from strength to strength as a skilled upcoming horror director. Having first broken onto the scene with the critically well received Oculus, a film about a haunted mirror in 2013. Now this year he returns with two motion pictures. Firstly, a sequel to a horror flop Ouija, the sequel titled Ouija: Origin of Evil, which according to Rotten Tomatoes score was superior to Oculus. And now the straight to Netflix film Hush. One quick point to discuss, it could be a point of criticism that the horror film victimises a disability, something that other horror films of 2016 did, most notably Shut In (a film centring around a bedridden, catatonic state boy). Hush in my opinion doesn’t do so as the film is in no way negative in its use of the disability and is purely used as a character trait and a means of developing tension.

Flanagan has stood out in his short career as a fresh, and thoughtful horror director, and Hush is no exception. Likely his most thrilling film to date, the film puts a clever spin on the home invasion horror premise. The films scenes leading up to the meet of our hero and villain are mesmerizing and well thought out. The film from then on is a white knuckled thrill ride, that makes it an undiscovered gem on Netflix. While not every aspect of the film revolves around the deafness of the lead character or directly implements it in all her action against our villain, the film is still cunningly clever. The home invasion genre with a twist of the sense was a theme of popular horror films of 2016, with Don’t Breathe being another big success of the year. Having not scene Don’t Breathe, I review Hush with its own rights and merit.

The only real flaws that can be found in the film are that it doesn’t quite revolutionise the home invasion film to a huge degree, as it still follows the basic tropes and conventions. And secondly the villain played by Gallagher Jr was on and off at points. But overall this is an extremely well-crafted thriller. What are surprising aspects about the film, and the key to a good thriller is its ability to evoke real concern for the outcome. Many thrillers, especially the mainstream films of most recent years, fail to generate a real sense of urgency or genuine concern for the lead character(s). Hush does this very well. It is achieved through both Flanagan’s skill and his out of nowhere use of graphic violence that adds brilliantly to the charge of the film.

At a time when so few horror films are up to good quality, and even fewer filmmakers are taking the genre seriously, films like Hush should be celebrated. Granted this isn’t a game changer, and neither are the rest of Flanagan’s films. However, this film alike Oculus, not to spoil anything, shows Flanagan’s ability to play and toy with the narrative at hand, create good thrills without using the generic jump scares or CGI scary faces, and knows where to put the camera to place you right in the moment of the horror.

Verdict : Flanagan has made three horror films, each a success and each a good time, Hush is another superb outing

Verdict : 4/5

Quote : “I can come in anytime I want. And I can get you, anytime I want. But I’m not going to. Not until it’s time.”

 

Take Shelter DVD Review

Twister

Released : November 15th 2011

Certificate : 15

Director : Jeff Nichols

Cast : Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Tova Stewart

Plot : Haunted by apocalyptic dreams and paranoia, Curtis (Shannon), quiet family life is disturbed.

A small festival film that didn’t perform hugely at the box office. It gained great critical success and a few awards at minor festivals. Written and directed by film maker Jeff Nichols, who while isn’t well known has gone on to make more ‘small’ but critically acclaimed films after this one. He is the writer/director of Mud (one of MCConaughey’s break out roles), Midnight Special and this year Loving. Before this film he had little motion picture experience apart from one short. Shannon, the lead, would go on to collaborate on all of Nichols, as well as The Iceman and Man of Steel.

Nicholas style of storytelling, from what I have seen, is rather unusual. In the way that it has inventive and thought provoking story lines, but which are told and present very subtly and ‘non-Hollywoodised’. There good return to importance of character and a sombre tone throughout his films, these are some patterns which are established here and seem (from what I’ve seen) to continue throughout his work. Take Shelter takes its time with the development of its main plot, which is the mental state of our lead character Curtis, as he goes on a journey through these visions and the conclusions and actions that result from them. The effect of the style of presentation is hit and miss. Its ability to maintain tension and build the growing anxiety of the characters is done well, slowly and first and then at a developing pace it turns the screw on the tension. This isn’t done to such a degree that makes the film hugely memorable unfortunately, but keeps you hooked for the view time. This moderate level of success of the film, continues throughout the rest of the attributes, be it for some stand out aspects. Due to this, it is no wonder that Nichols has gone on to ‘better’ and more well-known projects, as there is definite promise here that isn’t quiet capitalized on.

For Nichols work here, there a pros and cons to both the writing and the directing. From the opening few shots of the film, you can see that Nicholas is a competent director, and is applying thought to the shot selection in order to actually develop the story. As with the poignant nature of all opening shots, we see Curtis in a wide shot, who is slightly off centre set. From this shot alone we can see that he isn’t quite sure of himself or of the world around him. Several other shots are of note, being that of his ability of knowing when to hold a shot wide stationary shot or when to pull in, executed well with the scenes of conflict and narrative progression. The writing however, isn’t quite as gripping. While it is serving the purpose very well of depicting our leads inability to describe his feelings, it doesn’t quiet garner the utopian family life or bound as well as it could to invest you with the characters.

Another solid feature of the film are the performances. Chastain as always is able to convey and depict the extremities of emotion in a striking hyperbole way, whether they are always grounded is down to personal taste. Shannon performance is slightly definitely the highlight of the film, with an ability to convey the characters conflicted nature throughout well, and deals with the extreme emotive cases with great intensity. But the film doesn’t quiet breach the barriers of good into great and make it a hugely memorable film experience. The entertainment and thrill that come from the inner conflict of our lead, doesn’t quiet carry over into the family dynamic of the film. While the direction mirrors the story’s meanings very well, the script doesn’t, with dialogue which while realistic doesn’t have the level of depth that is memorable.

Verdict : A film with a great concept, an excellent performance and directorial competence and promise, doesn’t quiet overcome issues of pacing and overall lack of grip of the film.

Verdict : 3/5

Quote : “I still take off my boots not to wake her.”

Green Room DVD Review

Mein Band 

Released : May 13th 2016

Certificate : 18

Director :  Jeremy Saulnier

Cast : Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Patrick Stewart, Alia Shawkat,  Joe Cole

Plot : A down on their luck punk band take a last minute gig at a neo-Nazi club. After witnessing a horrific act, the band become hostages within the green room.

After gaining festival and critical praise with violent indie thriller Blue Ruin, writer director Jeremy Saulnier returns with Green Room. Most notable in its cast is not only the heavy weight of Patrick Stewart, who embodies the leading neo-Nazi, but also the late departed Anton Yelchin, who is most famous for his role in the recent star trek films. Very similar in structure to Blue Ruin, we have characters who are quickly set up to do battle in a film which depicts a brutally violent winding road of the characters survival. This film also marks what the director calledanother film in his unofficial ‘inept protagonist trilogy’.

From this set up, of inept protagonist, confined setting of film, feature of neo-Nazi and a director who’s breakout film is a violent unusual thriller, a pretty clear picture can begin to be built as to the nature of the film. This is a white knuckled survivalist thrill ride, made in the same vain as slasher horror films as the characters get picked off one at a time for the enjoyment of the audience. Some have claimed that the film spills into the horror genre due to the extent of the violence in the film, this doesn’t seem to ring true due to the way the film is quiet self aware and sarcastic in some scenes with the topic matter. Along this vain the film is very much aware of what it is in structure, which was a wise choice from Jeremy Saulnier as it made the film a lot more entertaining, with a tone and mood which is near perfect.

There are always flaws with a film of the style, which will offend audience depending on your inclination to this type of film and willingness to suspend criticism for the sake of ‘fun’. The characters themselves are likely going to be the issue that many audience will find with the film. Despite the striking good performance from both the well known and unknown actors of the punk band, they lack audience empathy. This ties in with the concept of the inept protagonist. Blue Ruin contained equally inept characters, but was able to build a higher level of emotive connection with the protagonist that you were more invested in the story. With Green Room the punk band aren’t given a back story, nor have much likability. For some this is not an issue and can relish the thrilling aspects of the film without any connection to the characters, others will see little interest or justification for the violence inflicted on them.

Despite this flaw and other issues, Green Room delivers a great level of edge of your seat thrills and tense atmosphere that keeps you in the palm of the movies hand. This effect is achieve via a combination of the brutal violence on screen, the very high standard performances throughout and the craft of Saulnier. While Saulneir might not have as much imagination with the dialogue or story of his writing, he is able to build the tension superbly as he did before with Blue Ruin, and here the claustrophobic environment is an asset to his work. While this in essence is a film style that has been done many times before in its different guises, Saulnier attitude towards the subject matter and a real fell for the humorously dark tension builder, Green Room is a riot of a time which captures you while you’re watching.

Verdict : A thrilling fun time, which rekindles the film type of watching the characters fall one at a time in spectacular style.

Verdict : 4/5

Quote : Nazi punks! Fuck off!

Review: Passion

Year: 2012

Certificate: 15

Director: Brian De Palma

Screenwriter: Brian De Palma

Cast: Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Karoline Herfurth, Paul Anderson

Passion charts the toxic relationship of predatory advertising executive Christine (Rachel McAdams) and her shy but sharp subordinate Isabelle (Noomi Rapace). As their amicable dynamic gradually becomes poisoned by jealousy, betrayal and ambition both professional and personal, Isabelle finds herself accused of a terrible crime.

An English-language remake of 2010’s Love Crime, De Palma weaves a well-made if irredeemably pulpy tale of executive backbiting. Saturated in bright colours, dark shadows and consecutive Dutch angles, the cinematography reflects the heightened nature of the connection between Christine and Isabelle, by turns erotically charged, heady and- ultimately- deadly. McAdams is on top form here, although her casting has an unfortunate side effect of framing the film as an almost-plausible ‘10 years on’ scenario for her poisonous teen diva Regina George from 2004’s Mean Girls. Similar to George, Christine is a committed life-ruiner, her charming facade hiding an impressively sadistic personality. Rapace also excels playing the apparent ingénue who comes to take her role as Christine’s protégée perhaps more literally than Christine intended.

Riffing heavily on the connection between professional ambition and romantic desire, De Palma perhaps oversteps the mark a little, ultimately coming off more schlocky than sinister. The much trailed girl-on-girl eroticism is aimed squarely at a hetero male audience, and the framing of the career ambitions of its female characters as cut-throat, two-faced and irrevocably intertwined with their sexuality betrays an ambivalence towards women that feels at best old-fashioned.

Verdict: 2/5

Image credit: imdb.com